Meaning of Tarot Cards

Card Meaning: XX JUDGEMENT

Element: Fire
Planet: Pluto
Hebrew letter: Shin, ש

General

All the cards until this point are describing our individual path
and aspects of our personal growth. This card transcedents individuality and
puts in perspective us as a conscious collective. This is the first card
where we can see a group of people united in the same action. What does it mean
in this context? The Judgement is showing us that our individual path has
symbolically ended with The Sun, and now, all human souls, together, are making
this last step towards The World. This is not the
uncommon concept in many world religions
and spiritual teachings. To be more specific, this scene is clearly from
Christian Ressurection, The Last judgement. In modern days old teachings and
modern quantum physics are in solid agreement about us flowing in the vast sea
of consciousness. Is it only by chance that there is a vast body of water on
this card? The usual motif that is coming together with this card is a motif of
death and ressurection, showing us that as soon as we start to approach The
Infinity, individual boundries start to break, bringing to ego momentary sense
of death, just to be followed by sense of the new, broader sense of reality,
ressurection. On more subconscious level it is about integration of all facets
of ourselves. We must integrate our past and present, our dark side and our good
side in one whole, our goal here is to be One and see that all our experiences
are within our grasp, they live inside us, not outside. This is another card of
transition, in some aspects very similar to The Tower, but the main difference
is its destructionless transformational nature, this transformation is through
transmutation and integration.

History

In the Jean Noblet Tarot there are only three persons
on the card, a man, a woman and a child. The child is in the coffin alike box
while the man and the woman are standing beside, praying. Above in the cloud there is an
angel blowing the trumphet. There are sparks falling down from the sky. Other
decks have the similar motifs.

Reading

This card is trying to tell us that we are about to live through some
serious change in our lives, that we must make some serious decisions, usually
kind of change and decisions that we fear the most. If we embrace the change with the
courage and vision we will profit, if we procrastinate and fear the change we
may even be ok, but only for a while beacuse that path will lead us again at some other
time on that same place, usually in even worse company. We must understand that
the fear is the greatest enemy of the change.

Symbolism

angel, divine law, ressurection

In the forefront of the picture we see
a man, a woman and a child. They
represent consciousness, subconsciousness and their child, personality. They are
standing in the coffins. Coffins closed are full of darkness, symbolizing lack
of knowledge, but opened they are filled with light, thus showing us that
ressurection brings understanding about one's deeds. The adults are in
rectangular coffins but the child is in the square coffin, square is a symbol of
justice and order. But coffins here also symbolizes the limitation of the
material world that is now being desintegrated by the power of the ressurection.
They seem to be on a sea or some other body of water, it is reminiscence of
the river that begins from the dress of The High
Priestess and now finally ends here.
Also, the mountains in the distance seems to be the same mountains as in
The
Fool card. Up in the sky there is an angel, probably Gabriel blowing in
the trumphet. This we can connect with the importance of the esoteric Life Breath to
ressurect the dead. There is a cross on the flag that represents
measurement and reason. Correct judgement depends upon the reason and measure.
The angel is in the cloud, the cloud symbolizes material illusion that surrounds
The True Self - the angel. We can also notice that people are of grayish
complexion indicating that they overcame the opposites.

I have said that this symbol is essentially invariable in all Tarot sets, or at
least the variations do not alter its character. The great angel is here
encompassed by clouds, but he blows his bannered trumpet, and the cross as usual
is displayed on the banner. The dead are rising from their tombs--a woman on the
right, a man on the left hand, and between them their child, whose back is
turned. But in this card there are more than three who are restored, and it has
been thought worth while to make this variation as illustrating the
insufficiency of current explanations. It should be noted that all the figures
are as one in the wonder, adoration and ecstacy expressed by their attitudes. It
is the card which registers the accomplishment of the great work of
transformation in answer to the summons of the Supernal--which summons is heard
and answered from within.

Herein is the intimation of a significance which cannot well be carried further
in the present place. What is that within us which does sound a trumpet and all
that is lower in our nature rises in response--almost in a moment, almost in the
twinkling of an eye? Let the card continue to depict, for those who can see no
further, the Last judgment and the resurrection in the natural body; but let
those who have inward eyes look and discover therewith. They will understand
that it has been called truly in the past a card of eternal life, and for this
reason it may be compared with that which passes under the name of Temperance.